Raikkonen unfazed by Lauda’s comments

Kimi Raikkonen declined to hit back at Niki Lauda on Friday, despite the F1 legend calling him a “wimp”.

Told that triple world champion and Mercedes chairman Lauda has been talking about him, Raikkonen said at the Nurburgring: “Huh? To me? He (Lauda) hasn’t spoken to me.” The 2007 world champion was then told by the interviewer for Tagesspiegel newspaper that Lauda had said ignoring Red Bull’s offer of a 2014 seat would make him a “wimp”. “I don’t care what he says,” said the Finn. “He likes to talk a lot and that doesn’t concern me. “He’s not being nasty, I know him well enough to know what he’s thinking,” added Raikkonen.

The 33-year-old insisted he only returned to F1 in 2012 to win again, so the interviewer is curious as to why he would apparently hesitate to join Red Bull — the dominant team of the past few seasons. “There are many reasons,” answered Raikkonen. “Nothing is as clear as it seems. “At the moment I have nothing for next year. If there is a decision, I will tell everyone,” he added.

Asked if a great car, lots of money, or lots of free time are most important to him, Raikkonen admitted: “Everything. The whole package. “I’ve been in a lot of teams and so I know what I want. “I’ll make the best choice for myself, and if it’s wrong and I regret it, at least I made the decision for myself.”

Asked if the likely friendly pairing with Sebastian Vettel next year could sway things in Red Bull’s favour, Raikkonen insisted: “That doesn’t matter. “I know what you mean, but having jokes and laughs with friends is not why I’m here.”